When Worlds Collide
by SupernaturalCanary19
Summary: Peter Parker had been having a relatively good day all things considered. That was before he found two S.H.I.E.L.D agents sitting in his living room and a crazy Asgardian prince back for revenge on the planet. Suddenly he's thrust into life with The Avengers and has to make choices that could affect them all. TASM/Avengers cross-over with a helping of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
1. Chapter 1

**Sooo... I'm officially the worst author in the world. Upload one fic, leave it half way and start a new one? Yup, guilty as charged. Several times over. Sorry :(**

**This plot bunny literally leapt into my brain and just wouldn't leave me alone so I had to blurt it all out. I'm going to make much more of an effort to work on my stories (all of them) from now on, seriously! (I feel like I've promised that way too many times now...)**

**There are some important details you need to know about this story before beginning:**

**First of all - in this story, Tony blew up all of the suits in IM3 but never actually 'quit' being Iron Man as it was kinda made out at the end. He's merely had to start all over again in this story. **

**Second - the events of The Amazing Spider-Man happened after the events of The Avengers but before the events of Iron Man 3 and the events in Thor 2 haven't happened at all (as you will discover soon). The majority of this story is set after TASM, TA and IM3 though there may be flashbacks every now and again. I hope that isn't too confusing for everyone (though the fact that I've basically confused myself with that sentence doesn't bring my much hope..).**

**Thirdly - The Avengers all know about Coulson being alive again (woohoo!)**

**Finally - this is also going to include characters from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It's gonna be one hell of a party!**

**Anyway, boring details over - let's get to the story! The usual disclaimer applies: If I owned a single thing in this story I would NOT be sitting on my butt writing these stories but instead rolling in money (literally, I'd just roll in it for fun). Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

Peter Parker was having a relatively good day.

For the past week, after the whispered words of broken promises in class to Gwen, they had somewhat reconnected. Despite the promise he had made her father before he'd died, the guilt of his death coupled with the guilt of not supporting the girl he had fallen for whilst she had grieved had eaten at him to the point that he'd had to talk to her again.

Smiling as her face filled his thoughts, Peter dropped his skateboard to the floor, placed one foot on the gritty surface and pushed off hard with the other. He was headed home to the small house he shared with his Aunt May from school as it had let out for the weekend. The fact that it was Friday which meant that he had a weekend free was one of the reasons that his day had been a decent one - the other reason being that he had shared four classes with Gwen which in his books was always good.

With his earbuds stuffed securely in his ears, Peter angled his feet backwards on his board and swerved sharply to the left down another road on his journey home. With his favourite band blasting out in his ears, he relied heavily on his newly heightened "Spidey-senses" (as Gwen had dubbed them, giggling teasingly at his subsequent roll of his eyes) to guide him safely through the throngs of people in his path.

Despite having the ability to get home much faster if he used his 'webs' (another Gwen term - she loved that one), there was something about taking the familiar journey home on his board that made him feel almost normal. There was no doubting that his transition into Spider-Man had been an experience that given the choice, he probably wouldn't have chosen to enter the room in Oscorp again - at least not without a protective suit anyway (_why didn__'__t he do that to begin with, again?)_. His life had been undoubtedly and irreversibly changed forever and though he felt mildly saddened by that, he knew he had to make the most of his abilities. After his "showdown" (Gwen seriously needed to stop with the names) with Dr Connors, he had taken a few weeks to allow his body to heal. The gunshot wound to his leg was giving him the most problems and even five weeks later still left him with painful twinges if he overused it. However, his Uncle's - or were they his fathers? - words constantly echoed through him - "if you could do good things for other people, you had a moral obligation to do those things" - and he knew that the words were right. He could help people, and so he would do it.

Humming along, he drew closer to home with a smile adorning his features. His recent ventures out at night as Spider-Man had all gone off without a hitch - as long as you didn't count a few bruises as a hitch - and it seemed that after saving the entire of the city, the police seemed _slightly_ less intent on hunting him down. Aunt May and he were slowly getting adjusted to life without Uncle Ben, though it didn't make it any easier when he came down stairs for breakfast and wasn't greeted by the usual "morning, kiddo" that he was used to, but it was slightly less crushing than it had been at the start. Gwen seemed slightly better in herself too and together they had been rebuilding the trust they had shared prior to him letting her down.

So when all things were considered, Peter would say this day had been relatively good so far.

Then he walked up the steps to his house after picking up his skateboard from the ground, crossed the landing after shutting the door and yelling a greeting to Aunt May, walked into the small lounge and noticed the two men in suits sitting next to a pale Aunt May with stern faces and his stomach dropped.

"Aunt May?" he frowned questioningly, attempting to keep any hint of fear off his face. She shot a weak smile at him as he moved further into the room but kept silent.

"Peter Parker?" one of the suits asked in a calm voice, both standing at the boy's arrival.

Frowning, Peter nodded slowly. "Who's asking?"

The man smiled back at the response. "Agent Coulson. I'm here on behalf of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division - otherwise known as S.H.I.E.L.D. This is Agent Ward."

Heart pounding, Peter's gaze flicked quickly to Aunt May and back to the men stood before him. He cleared his throat and schooled his features carefully into one of innocence. He was pretty sure he knew _exactly _what they were here for.

"Bit of a mouthful." he quipped, mind struggling to keep up with the idea that there were members of a team that dealt in supernatural occurrences sitting here in his lounge. He received a small laugh from the agent in response.

"That's what we thought," Agent Coulson replied dryly. "Son, I think we need to have a little talk."

—

_Three months later__…_

"Sir, I really must insis-"

"Jarvis, if you don't stop talking right now I'm going to _delete_ you." Tony Stark snarked back at his AI invention. Flexing his wrist around a few times, he tried to ignore the twinges throughout his body. The mark XLII had been giving him problems ever since he had needed to start from scratch after the _Prodigal Son _had been used against Killian a few months back. Warily eyeing the disassembled pieces across the other side of the room, Tony shook his head to clear his thoughts and focused carefully.

"All right, show me what you got," he taunted, shooting his arms out for the hundredth time that day alone. One by one the armour jolted forward at quick speed towards him and he grit his teeth. The pieces reached him and slammed onto the correct parts of his body one by one, knocking him slightly off balance. A few seconds later, Tony's eyes widened in terror as he eyed the last piece floating a few feet away, hovering precariously close to the floor.

"Not again," he pleaded, twisting in an attempt to escape. Seconds later, the last piece flew forwards and hit him squarely in the groin and knocked him flying backwards. Landing with a heavy thud, the wind was knocked out of his chest and he lay still, not daring to utter a word in fear of sounding more like Pepper than himself.

"Sir, I did try to warn yo-"

"Jarvis, shut up."

Groaning, he rolled over and pushed himself off the floor. Disassembling the armour once more, he chucked each part back over to the other side of the room and stood back in the centre. Huffing once more, he put his arms up, ready to go again when Pepper's voice rang out from the pad on the wall to his right.

"Honey," Pepper's voice echoed out in the fake-sweet voice she used when she was being watched. "We have a guest. Upstairs now, please."

Letting his arms drop, he sent a glance in the direction of the bits of armour and frowned. He would work on it later. Turning tail, he headed towards the stairs and ascended to the brightly lit lounge. After his house had a slight _remodelling_ when he had been paid a visit by Killian's men they had been forced to start from scratch in Stark Tower.

Emerging into the room, Pepper appeared in front of him with a strained smile.

"We have a problem."

—

"What do you _mean_ Loki's free _again?_" Tony asked incredulously to a slightly grimacing Agent Coulson.

"Phil-"

"Pepper, his first name is _Agent-__" _

"Phil," Pepper repeated, shooting Tony a glare. "How has this happened?"

Agent Coulson heaved a sigh. "Apparently Odin saw fit to banish Loki to Earth just as he did with Thor years prior. Remember New Mexico?" There was a slight pregnant pause as everyone remembered the giant robot falling literally from the sky (and no, for once this _wasn't _one of Tony's robots) and nearly flattening an entire town.

"I'm sorry but what the hell was he thinking? He realises that the guy literally just got done trying to take the whole planet over with a bunch of his creepy alien pals, right?" Tony questioned, disbelief colouring his tone.

"According to Thor, Odin has stripped Loki of most of his powers and sent him to Earth as a form of 'punishment' - something about him repenting what he's done here," Coulson replied dryly.

Tony just stared at 'Agent' (his name was _not _Phil), eyes wide.

"Thor knows that his father is crazy, right? I mean, no disrespect to the guy or anything-"

Pepper let out an unflattering snort in response.

"-but Loki is one straw short of a basket case and Odin sends him _back here? _Here I thought the justice system was flawed in _this_ country," he remarked sarcastically.

"I know," Coulson sighed again. "The reason I've told you is so you can be on your guard. Loki still having any kind of power means he's a threat. Thor's debriefing Director Fury right now but he'll be coming here once he's done to stay until Loki is dealt with. Even as of right now S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't know his current location."

"Oh great," Tony snarked once more.

"That's not the only reason I'm here though Mr Stark," Coulson continued. Tony's interest peaked slightly upon hearing this and he wandered over to the bar area to pour himself a drink. Raising a glass in offering and receiving a "no, thanks" in response, he shrugged and took a gulp.

"We need your help in another matter. I'm assuming you've seen the news about a so-called 'vigilante' named Spider-Man?" Coulson questioned, moving forward to hand Tony a file. He held out the manilla folder, only mildly surprised when Pepper took it from him and placed it down on the bar.

"Doesn't like to be handed things," Pepper reminded with a slight teasing to her voice. Coulson smiled slightly in response and watched as Tony opened up the folder.

Tony nodded and hummed his response. Flicking through the file, he saw a few pictures of the 'web-slinger' in action and a S.H.I.E.L.D classified document about Spider-Man with 90 per cent of the information blacked out.

Tony raised an eyebrow at that to which he received a small smirk accompanied by a humorous glint in his eyes. (Coulson clearly underestimated Tony's ability to find out anything he wanted within minutes regardless of the organisation.) Shuffling around the counter, Tony moved to his computer and took another swig of his drink before flicking through a few screens and pulling up a video of Spider-Man in action against the giant lizard - otherwise known as Dr Connors - that had gone crazy and tried to turn the entire city into scaly monsters like himself four months ago (and yes, Tony was rather thrilled that he had happened to be on a _delightful_ holiday in Paris with Pepper at the time of that. He still shuddered at the idea of being scaly).

"Guy's got balls I'll give him that," Tony praised slightly. "What do you want with him?"

Agent Coulson smiled.

"We want you to recruit him and bring him here."

—


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you guys for the amazing response I've got for this story so far! I'm so glad you've enjoyed it and as promised, here is the next chapter! **

**As another note, this is totally un-beta'd so any mistakes or plot fails are mine and mine alone. If anyone has any ideas or wants to take the role of beta I'd be totally happy - the more constructive criticism/help I can get the better!**

**This chapter is a bit of a filler chapter really before the main action begins - I don't want to rush this story too much. Hope you guys don't dislike it too much (or at all, ideally!)**

* * *

Peter heaved in a breath as he flipped neatly over the head of one of the thugs in front of him and landed smoothly, swiping a foot backwards. The guy toppled to the floor with a shout and Peter smirked.

"You know, you guys really need to even up the odds. Ten against one clearly just isn't fair for you," he quipped sarcastically, dodging a blow to the back of his head with what looked like a pipe (because criminals just seemed to have these things on hand - the cliche of it all made his head hurt) after his spidey-senses had tingled strongly. Spinning his body around, he grabbed the pipe with his right hand and fired a web with the other at the next thug's face, (who he had affectionately named Rat Face - the resemblance to a rodent was just uncanny) rendering him effectively blind. Peter took a minute to laugh as the guy stumbled around blind, screaming bloody murder which was muffled by the webs. Throwing his hands forward once more, Peter shot out several more webs and turned around to fight the remaining members of the gang, not needing confirmation to know that the guy was stuck fast against the wall next to his other four buddies.

Facing the other members, he couldn't help the full-bellied laugh that escaped him as they attempted to circle him in, each holding either some kind of pipe or knife. He let out a sigh and shook his head, truly disappointed.

"You seriously can't find anything better than that? There's nothing in the thug manual that says "If against Spider-Man, use his biggest weakness - small kitchen utensils", right? You gotta write yourself a new manual, guys. Might even be able to get it published - I hear the cops are looking for some help."

"You're so dead, Bug-Boy," one of the bozos growled, starting to walk towards him in what Peter assumed was supposed to be a menacing manner.

"Oh, that's a good one," Peter exclaimed, laughing outright. "Bug-Boy, so original. No seriously guys, go for it. Look, I'll even use one hand," he teased, placing his left arm behind his back, beckoning the group forward with his right.

A second passed before Bozo 1 came charging at him, actually growling (Peter was tempted to tell him how much he resembled a dog before realising it would probably be harsh on dogs), swinging a small knife at his face. Pulling back sharply, Peter grabbed the man's arm and twisted until he let out a yell and dropped the knife to the floor. It skidded away harmlessly and Peter yanked his hand backwards, throwing the guy over his shoulder. With the hand behind his back, he shot out several webs and heard the thud as the guy collided with Rat Face and was stuck fast to the wall.

The next few minutes was spent stringing up the remaining group until all ten members were either in their own cocoon which dangled harmlessly from a street light or spread out in a line on the wall. The sound of police sirens was growing steadily louder and Peter just wasn't in the mood to be shot at today.

"Now, what have we all learned here?" he began in a mock serious tone. "Bad guys always lose. Try to rob a store, take an old lady's purse, attack women in an alley - you'll lose. Stay in school guys, it'll do you a world of good."

Jumping, he shot out a web upwards and launched himself into the air, swinging his way towards home just as the first police cruiser came screeching round the corner into the small side-alley he'd just been in. He couldn't help but let out a _whoop _as he swung - the feeling of kicking bad guy's asses was one he truly enjoyed.

Ten minutes later and half way home, Peter's spider-senses strongly tingled once more and he looked down in alarm. Smoke was rising from an apartment block a few roads away from him and it was only a few seconds before a huge explosion tore through the building. Dropping quickly, he swung his was over to the building and landed sharply next to a fire truck that was attempting to contain the blaze. Police, ambulances and firetrucks littered the street around the building as people screamed and stumbled away it. Many were being treated on the floor by paramedics and Peter glanced around worriedly. Two firemen looked up in shock as they rushed back from the flames that poured smoke across the sky as he shouted over to grab their attention.

"What's the situation?" Peter yelled loudly over the inferno. The two men looked at each other before the taller of the two replied.

"Four trapped on the fourth floor and two on the sixth - the explosion took out the lower two floors. It's a gas fire - the whole building is going to go any minute," he explained, voice gravelly from the smoke. Peter nodded, body filling with dread. Making a split second decision, he shot web towards a window on the fourth floor and flung himself into the building.

* * *

"What do you mean you want _me _to recruit him? Isn't that _your_ job?" Tony asked incredulously, staring down Coulson with a look of shock written over his features. Not a lot could surprise the genius (billionaire, playboy, philanthropist) but sometimes S.H.I.E.L.D said and did the _weirdest _things that it was hard not to be even a little confused.

"Yeah, what do you mean you want _Tony _to do it? You actually want this Spider-Man guy on your side, right? He's got about as much tact as an eel you reali-"

"_Hey, _I'm charming, thank you very much. And an eel, really? This eel got you into bed pretty nicely if I do say so myself," Tony interrupted indignantly, shooting a wounded look at Pepper who simply returned it with a harsher glare.

Coulson smiled awkwardly at the exchange before clearing his throat and explaining himself.

"Mr Stark-"

"Tony, please - Mr Stark was my Dad."

"Tony," Coulson began, "the reason we need _you _to do it in particular is because we think you're the only one who can." At the sceptical looks he received from both parties stood before him, he continued on. "Spider-Man's real name is Peter Parker and he's a teenager currently attending Midtown High."

A stunned silence follow Coulson's words. Pepper's jaw dropped open and even Tony had a hard time concealing his level of shock.

"He's just a teenager?" Pepper questioned quietly, gobsmacked at the information. They had literally _just _been watching images of him brutally fighting (and only just scraping through said fight) against a giant lizard whilst using his own kind of powers and the kid was probably worrying about things like finals too. Coulson nodded in response, not at all surprised by their reactions.

"A few months ago, Agent Ward and I spoke to him. Based on his reaction we think the easiest way to get close to him is for you to earn his trust first."

Tony shot Pepper an incredulous look, still not quite grasping why Coulson was asking _him_ of all people.

"Look, I haven't got time to be playing house with a teenager - creepy spider super-powers aside. In case you haven't noticed I'm kinda rebuilding my super-cool robots from scratch? Why don't you get Steve to handle this? He's more of the doting type, don't you think?" Tony mused, offering his friend's services instead.

Coulson shook his head immediately, vetoing the idea.

"_Look, Agent Coulson I get why you're here but I'm not some soldier that's going to fall in line and get a slap on the wrist when I do something you don't like. I'm here to protect people and I'm not going to do it under somebody else's beck and call. You already have Captain America for that and he seems to be doing a swell job at it so far. Thanks but no thanks." _

"Something makes me think that wouldn't be a great idea. You are the best we have for this I can promise that." Coulson stated, unwilling to back down on the issue.

Tony heaved a sigh. "Just how would you expect me to get this guy to just join up to our group? He's a teenager and this life isn't exactly a stroll in the park. The kid deserves to have his own life don't you think?" His comment was met by another smile that was unreadable (Tony mentally rolled his eyes - his evening hadn't turned out as he had planned so far. Stupid Agent and his stupid S.H.I.E.L.D orders).

"You of all people should know that he will have his own life." Coulson returned confidently, not needing to remind the billionaire (genius, playboy, philanthropist) of the fact that Tony pretty much did what he wanted, when he wanted.

"Maybe," Tony replied, still unsure of the idea. "Why do you want him _now_ of all times? You say you spoke to him before - did you and Mr Personality not manage to convince him them?"

Coulson bit back a wince as he remembered the way the conversation had ended with Peter a few months back.

"_Mr Parker, we're going to need you to reconsider this offer. Spider-Man is a symbol of hope for a lot of people in this city but many want him gone. You tackle a lot of the small-time criminals that are part of a larger criminal under-belly. We can offer you and your family protection, keep them safe from those who want to cause Spider-Man harm." _

_Peter smilled back crookedly, mind whirring over everything that had been presented to him so far by these "Agents" who just wanted to "help him". In his experience, nobody wanted just to help you with nothing in return. _

"_Look, I don't know you and I sure as hell do not trust you. I don't know how you figured out who I am but I'm not signing my life away to some creeps who could be trying to kill me for all I know."_

A shrill ringing brought him back to the present and Coulson started as his phone blasted out the Captain America theme. Blushing slightly, he quickly snatched it out of his pocket and answers, ignoring the looks of glee that crossed Tony and Pepper's faces.

"Agent Coulson."

He spoke for a minute before hanging up and looking up at Tony.

"Looks like you've got the perfect opportunity to approach him. Spider-Man just jumped into a burning building to rescue to some people trapped and hasn't come out yet. Got a suit ready?"

Tony drew in a breath and threw his eyes to the ceiling in exasperation.

"Jarvis?"

"Mark VII is ready to go, sir."

"Time to meet Spidey," Tony huffed, putting down his glass and beginning to head to the roof.

"Tony," Coulson called from behind him. He turned, pausing impatiently. "Don't forget - ease him into the idea gently. He's not particularly… keen on it."

"Oh, good."


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow. No seriously - wow, you guys. The support I've received is so overwhelming and I'm so, so grateful to each and every one of you! I can't believe you guys are enjoying this so much ! Every time I get a review it makes my day! Thank you all :D**

**A lovely nice long chapter for you all today to make up for the absence of a couple of weeks. My laptop had some problems and had to be sent away for repair but I got this up as soon as I could! The next chapter is already half written and I'm super excited to get it done! :D **

**A bit of info about this chapter (and a question for you all): the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D are going to be involved in this but I was wondering what everybody thought about how much to have them involved? I was thinking about potentially going as far as a ship between two characters (one Agent and one Avenger - not telling which yet ;)) but wondered if you thought that idea sucked? Let me know!**

**The real drama should begin at the end of the next chapter - or at least be introduced! Hope you enjoy this one folks :)**

* * *

As soon as he entered the building Peter coughed, his lungs beginning to get congested with the harsh smoke that filled the entirety of the air around him. His spidey-senses were going haywire as the air crackled, the structure of the building creaked and flames danced around him in a dangerous manner. He began to sweat profoundly as he made his way across the floor carefully towards the sounds of desperate screams for help.

"Hello?" he called loudly, searching for the source of the screams. "Where are you?"

Shuffling forward, he placed a foot down and gasped as the wood gave out beneath him, flames shooting up towards him. Snatching his leg back, he stumbled slightly, off balance as his lungs grew heavier. Gaining his balance he shot a web onto the beam above him and swung himself careful over the pit of flames that had separated him from the rest of the room.

Another scream cried out and he snapped his head to the side, two figures coming into view.

"Hey," he yelled, rushing over to the two young girls who were huddled behind an up-turned table. He quickly crouched down and ran an eye over the girls who couldn't have been any old than ten, checking for any injuries. Apart from being covered in black ash, the two seemed relatively unharmed and they both jumped up at the sight of him.

"Spider-Man!" they both exclaimed, wrapping their arms around him. Peter eased them back and held them out carefully.

"Are you two alright?" The girls both nodded in response, coughing harshly. "Is there anyone else here with you?" he questioned desperately, remembering the fireman's instructions that four were still trapped on this floor alone.

"Don't know," one of the girls replied, her voice breaking mid-sentence with strain. Peter's mind worked quickly, knowing he needed to get the girls out and get back in to find the remaining four people before the building went up - or rather down.

"Okay, hop on," he instructed, lifting one girl up into his grip and letting the other clamber onto his back. "Don't let go, okay?" He felt both nod against him and he turned around, straining slightly at the added weight. Hitching the girls up securely, he carefully picked out a path towards the window once more. Avoiding the weakened floor, he skirted around the side and quickly made his way to safety.

Reaching the window, he threw up his free hand and shot out a web, lowering himself and the two girls safely to the ground below. Paramedics quickly rushed over and grabbed the children from him, placing masks securely over their faces as they continued to cough. Letting out a wheeze, he nodded to them before turning tail and shooting back up to the fourth floor window.

As soon as he stepped into the room once more, a loud groaning sounded and suddenly the ceiling above was collapsing down towards him. Throwing himself across the floor, he jumped the gap seconds before tonnes of rubble came crashing down where he had been standing. Letting out a sharp breath, he coughed once more and grew slightly panicked - his way out was effectively cut off.

Pushing forward, he exited the room and headed out into the hallway, bringing up his arm to attempt to block some of the smoke from entering his lungs.

Calling out again, he strained his ears in an attempt to hear any response. A cry rang out from the distance and he pivoted on the spot, shooting down the hallway towards it. The cries grew louder and he stopped in front of a closed door from which the sounds were coming from.

"Hold on," he yelled, standing back and balancing himself before throwing up a foot and smashing the door down before he stumbled backwards as flames forced out of the room and heat pushed against him. Look into the room in horror, he steeled himself and quickly leapt through the flames, a cry leaving him as the heat licked at his skin. He could feel his suit burn away slightly and his back and arms were engulfed in pain. Biting his lip, he quickly rolled over and doused what had started to catch alight and called out once more.

"In here," the voice yelled. "Please help!"

Peter stood up and quickly made out a figure hunched behind a fridge on the opposite side of the room. A man appeared to be holding another person in his arms and was trapped by a wall of flames. Peter shuffled towards the two, pushing the pain to the back of his mind (though he did make a note to himself to invest in fire-proof material for his next suit as he winced at the way his skin tingled sorely).

As he drew closer, he heard the same groaning noise that had sounded not a minute ago when the roof had caved in and he looked up in alarm as the ceiling began to buckle. Knowing he wouldn't reach the people in time, he felt his breath catch.

"No!" he yelled, doing all he could think of. He fired two bio-cables forward, waited until they wrapped around the pair and pulled towards him. The ceiling began to cave as he yanked them closer and he yelped once more.

The pair came crashing into him, knocking him backwards just as the floor above crumbled down. Debris flew up and Peter ignored his back which now screamed at him after the impact and rolled them over to protect the two as bits of plaster and wood came flying towards them. Several knocked into him and he grimaced, knowing that he was going to be sore in the morning. The flames gave no respite and grew closer towards them so he stood up sharply, pulling the man and what appeared to be his son up with him before heading to where the door stood. The fire had eaten through the thin wooden frame and walls and left a larger gap which he shoved through, arm around the man who held the boy tight.

All three of them coughed hard, the smoke becoming thicker and Peter looked around wildly, desperate for an escape. Dread filled him as both ends of the corridor became totally engulfed in flames, the paths blocked off.

"Just hold on guys," he tried to reassure, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt. Suddenly wishing he had spoken to Gwen today, he felt out of options. Before he could move, a sudden high pitched noise sounded and a blast cut through the wall to his left. Jumping back in shock, he was lost for words when a startlingly familiar gold and red clad figure stepped - or rather hovered - through the opening.

"Need a hand?" came the voice of Iron Man, appearing like a vision before him. Realising that he couldn't waste much time by pausing in his shock, Peter grabbed the man and his boy, pushing them forwards and followed Iron Man (he never thought he'd be saying _that _so nonchalantly - frankly he couldn't work out if he was hallucinating or not) back out of the clear path the hero (_super_ hero, Peter reminded himself somewhat dazedly) had apparently created. Still overcome with surprise, Peter couldn't find words and simply jumped down and yet again handed the two over to the waiting paramedics. Stumbling, he felt himself growing weaker as he hacked against the ash that he knew was lining his lungs and he heard the voice of Tony Stark - _the _Tony Stark tell him to stay put before he flew off into the building on the sixth floor.

Peter dropped to his knees and felt a hand touch his shoulder. He distantly heard someone asking if he was okay and he nodded his head slightly, focused solely on regaining his breathing.

Not a minute passed before he heard a smashing of glass and looked up to see Iron Man flying out of the building with a woman clutched in his arms tightly. He landed next to Peter and handed her off to an ambulance crew before quickly asking the fireman how long he thought they had.

"You only got one?" Peter croaked, dread filling him once more at the idea of someone still being stuck in. He received a nod in response and before he could think about what he was doing, Peter stood up and webbed himself back up to the sixth floor.

He heard a _whoosh _next to him as Iron Man flew up with him and they both crashed through back into the building.

"This way, kid," came the instruction from his right and they both made their way through the flames once more. Both calling out, they looked quickly for the remaining trapped person throughout the floor but heard nothing in response. They continued to search for minutes longer before Peter suddenly heard a weak shout for help.

"This way," he croaked, darting down a corridor and heading into a room. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw a woman who was curled in a ball in the corner of the room as flames ate through the wooden floor towards her. He began to call out but as suddenly as before, the floor above began to groan and give way and he didn't have time to move before a blast ripped through the entire room. Peter was thrown backwards and the world was a jumbled for a few moments before he felt himself collide with something and blackness filled his vision.

It was a few seconds before the pain hit him and his vision greyed out, body screaming. Unable to move for a few seconds, he attempted to clear his head but felt himself slipping before he heard a voice ring out and the darkness claimed him.

"Hold on, kid."

* * *

The first thing he noticed when he came around was that he wasn't burning any more. The second thing he noticed was that he wasn't wearing his costume either and was staring up at the ceiling of what seemed to just be _white_ (if he could classify an entire entity as a colour - though quite frankly he felt like he had earned the right to just make stuff up at points after what he'd been through). Blinking a few times, Peter let out a groan as his body reminded him that a building nearly fell on him.

_Note to self - move faster. _

Clearing his head, he suddenly remembered what had happened and began to sit up in shock. His ribs ached something wicked but he continued upwards and took in his surroundings confusedly. Last he remembered he had been about to become a crispy spider and somehow he had ended up in a what seemed to be some sort of hospital room or infirmary. Gasping, a realisation came over him and he quickly searched around for his costume only to find it nowhere in sight. Looking down at himself, he started as he took in that he was wearing normal clothes.

"No, no, no, no," he muttered, shifting off the bed and holding in a moan as his abused body protested the movement. A look down at his arms told him that he had been taken care of - bandages graced his arms where he knew burns and grazes lay. Glancing outside the room he saw an empty corridor and crept quietly forwards. Poking his head around the glass, he quickly surveyed his surroundings before darting down the corridor, trying to find any clue of his whereabouts.

As he moved, he tried to piece together what he could remember before he woke and as he rounded the corner he could hear voices growing louder. Creeping forward, he flattened himself against the wall and listened carefully. Suddenly the image of Iron Man flying towards him, helping him evacuate people from the burning building and the final explosion ran through his mind and he started, figuring out pretty quickly where he now stood; Stark Tower.

_Well, shit_.

Backtracking, he turned tail and headed back down the corridor and away from the voices, intent on finding an exit. If his suit was gone, they knew who he was and he needed to get out of there - fast. However, as he strode quietly away from the voices, he heard something that made him stop in his tracks.

"…Loki is back on Earth."

* * *

Steve Rodgers pounded at the punching bag in front of him, sweat dripping down his forehead. His punches were set in a perfect rhythm, bodying swaying with each throw. Images flashed in his mind with each smack - Peggy, the ship crashing to ground and fighting off the alien invasion were but a few of the choice things he saw. It wasn't just when he exercised but when he slept too. His dreams were endlessly filled with pictures of things that he could've done better, ways he could've saved people instead of letting them die around him.

Letting out a grunt, Steve threw a mighty punch and sighed as the reinforced bag went flying across the room and landed with a loud thud. Letting his arms hang for a few a seconds he regained his breath as he forced the image of Peggy out of his brain.

Heaving another weighty sigh, he walked over to the downed bag and grabbed it, dragging across the room to where a line of identical bags lay, each in a differing state of disarray. Turning on his heel, he was about to pick out another bag when suddenly the door to the gym opened and Tony stuck his head in.

"Hey, Cap," Tony greeted cheerfully (almost too cheerfully Steve thought). The billionaire looked over at the row of punching bags and let out a sigh of his own. "Another, really? I'm paying for those you know," he joked, chuckling slightly at his own expense.

Steve let out a calming breath and closed his eyes in resignation.

"You're not - S.H.I.E.L.D are," he reminded his friend, opening his eyes and sending him an exasperated look.

"Oh yes - a great benefit of saving the world; free punching bags for you and a free lab for Brucey. Wonders never cease! I'm pretty sure Natasha and Barton even get free food," Tony snarked in response, smiling easily once more.

"What do you need, Tony?" Steve asked, knowing that the man wasn't there for just a chat (he still remembered the argument they had had on the helicarrier before the whole alien invasion had taken place - _ "You're a lab rat, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle!") _and whilst the two had patched things up considerably from when they had first met, Steve knew he wouldn't be the first of Tony's list to just _chat _with so he decided to cut to the point.

"We have a few people upstairs I think you should meet," Tony stated (in a somewhat mysterious tone if you asked Steve - he and his father was quite alike in that respect).

Letting his chin drop to his chest, Steve swiped a towel across his forehead and nodded, agreeing easily. Throwing the towel on the bench, he headed towards the shower room just outside the gym, passing Tony on the way.

"Give me ten minutes and I'll be up," he stated, headed for a nice cool shower. Tony nodded, setting off back upstairs and Steve let himself into the shower room.

Ten minutes later he was on his way up, refreshed after his workout. As the elevator doors opened, he stepped out into the living area and was slightly taken aback at the number of people gathered. Alongside Tony and Pepper, the rest of the 'Avengers' team sat together talking with a group of others. He recognised Phil Coulson but the rest were new to him. Making his way forward, he nodded at Natasha as she smiled up at him and he took a seat between her and Pepper (who knew the two women would get along like peas in a pod - Steve swore they even went shopping together last week).

Coulson smiled at Steve as he sat down, still unable to get completely over his admiration for Captain America (the trading cards still sat securely in his bedside table at his quarters in the S.H.I.E.L.D HQ - blood stained and all) before clearing his throat and turning to his team.

"Thanks for all coming today," he began. "There is a problem that you all ought to know about. Loki is back on Earth."

At this revelation, exclamations of outrage broke forth from several parties. Steve sat stunned in his seat, only able to turn to look at Thor who stood uncomfortably to the side, arms folded. Tony stayed quiet, an unreadable frown on his face as Clint stood up and paced over to the window.

"How did this happen?" Clint asked wearily. Loki was firmly on his list of "people to kill next time you see" and the archer could feel his anger growing.

Phil glanced to Thor in response and gestured for him to take over the conversation. In response Thor unfolded his arms and placed a hand against the back of the sofa.

"My father saw fit to punish Loki in the same way he had to me years before. His aim was to make Loki see the error of his ways, much as I did when I came to Earth." Thor paused, letting the information sink in. "By taking away most of Loki's powers, he's taken away his purpose, too. I believe on Midgard you call him the 'God of Mischief', correct?" he questioned, waiting until he received a nod in confirmation.

"There is a reason for that," he continued on. "Loki lives to cause trouble. I once believed there was hope for him but after he led the Chitauri to your planet, he has become a lost hope." Thor couldn't help letting the sadness he felt bleed through into his words and he straightened up, folding his arms once more.

A few moments on silence paused before Phil saw fit to continue explaining his reasons behind gathering the large group that sat around him.

"I want to introduce you to my team," he began, sitting up and clasping his hand in front of him. Turning to his right, he smiled at how nervous the younger members of the team looked (because May and Ward hadn't let emotions show in what Phil counted to be close to a month now. It had to be a record) and nodded his head towards them.

"These guys are going to help you dealing with what's going on. You may not feel you need them," he stated, feeling rather than seeing the look of scepticism that had undoubtedly blossomed on at least Tony and Natasha's faces, "but they are very good at what they do. We have received information about Loki that makes my team a good asset. At 4:31 on Friday we received intel that Loki had items on him when he was banished. Fury thinks it may have something to do with the Chitauri and my team has experience in that matter."

He looked over at Simmons who had blushed slightly at his words.

"Fitzsimmons are our two brightest minds," he began, gesturing to the two nervously smiling geniuses that sat next to each other.

"I'm Fitz - engineering," the Scot explained quietly, nodding a greeting at the (slightly overwhelming, not that he would let it show in front of Simmons) large group sat around him.

"Jemma Simmons," said his partner, a smile gracing her features. "I'm a bio-chemist," she explained, happy at the mild look of acceptance from Bruce Banner (_the _Bruce Banner, she reminded herself in her head. Trying not to freak out wasn't as simple of a task as people made it out to be).

"May and Ward," Coulson continued, pointing out the two silent agents respectively as they both nodded a cool greeting. "They'll be working alongside Natasha," he said, plainly ignoring the scowls that appeared on all three of the faces of the mentioned people.

"Finally, Skye is our resident computer hacker," he explained with a slight smile. Skye grinned at the group in front of her, unable to hold back the awe she felt.

"Can I just say - you guys totally rock," she said, glancing over the group of heroes sat before her (seriously, she was going to marry Thor. Did anyone else _see _those arms or was it just her?).

"My kind of girl," Tony quipped, face remaining straight. Pepper rolled her eyes beside him and reached up to flick him in the ear to which he let out a sharp "_hey!" _and shot her a mock glare.

"Anyway," Coulson continued, "a few weeks ago we came across some strange deaths involving odd symptoms such as levitation and electrostatic anomalies. Initially we believed it to be some form of weapon but found out it was a virus caused by a Chitauri helmet that was left after the invasion. The virus basically caused people to turn into electrostatic bombs," he explained wearily.

Phil glanced over to his two young geniuses and noticed their looks of discomfort. He winced slightly before continuing the information.

"Simmons contracted the virus after we examined one of the bodies," he began carefully, noticing the looks of sympathy that rose of a number of the faces in front go him. "We were in the air and almost ran out of time. Luckily Fitzsimmons managed to create a vaccine-"

"It was more like an anti-serum, really," Simmons interrupted meekly, twisting her hands uncomfortably.

"An anti-serum," Phil agreed easily, "that managed to cure her of the virus. However, if Loki has got his hands on it and knows of what it can do, we may be in some serious trouble."

A silence lay over the group as they each attempted to take in the information. Eventually, Tony was the one who broke that silence as he stood up determinedly.

"We kicked his ass once and we sure as hell can do it again. Let's find this son of a bitch - no offence to your mom, Point Break - and stop him before he can do any damage."

"Sir," an English voice suddenly rang out, startling several people. "It seems Mr Parker is currently trying to leave out of the seventh floor window."

Tony sighed, stepping towards the elevator quickly. "Back in a minute kids - play nice," he explained, smiling slightly at the exclamation from Fitz (or was it Simmons? He had forgotten already which way round they were. He decided he would call them both Fitzsimmons to make it easier) of "is that an AI home computing system? Oh wow!" before he hit a button and began his way to try and intercept Peter on his way down.

Quickly reaching floor seven, Tony stepped out of the elevator and strode down to the room which Peter had been in. Opening the door to the room, he stepped in and was greeted by the sight of the teen spider's back as he hovered over the open window frame, poised to jump.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."


	4. Chapter 4

**So this took a lot longer than expected to get written... I hit one of those plot points where I just couldn't figure out how to progress nicely with how I want the story to turn out and thus... a three week gap in chapters. My bad, folks!**

**I would like to say an huge, HUGE thank you to those who have reviewed, favourited and alerted to this story. I've had some of the kindest responses I've ever had to a fanfic and I'm so chuffed! Thank you especially to those who I've had conversations with about this - I'm sure you know who you are! I really hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**IMPORTANT: Okay so this fic is blurring the lines of fandom even further.. I'm combining both worlds of the latest Spider-Man franchises. You guys will see what I mean by the end of this chapter so please don't get too cross with me! One of the main plots from the 2002 Spider-Man film is entering now but there is still no MJ and the universe is still going to be essentially the Amazing Spider-Man universe. I'm sorry if this annoys anyone or confuses anyone. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!**

**Also, this is totally un-beta'd so the mistakes (I'm sure there are probably plenty!) are alllllll mine. If anyone knows of any great betas, please let me know!**

* * *

Peter froze, one hand still pressed against the window frame. He had just been about to place a hand on the outside window and try to scale the building as quickly as possible _without_ his bio-cables (because his damn costume was nowhere to be seen) before a voice stopped him in his tracks. Swallowing, he steeled himself and turned around, coming face to face with none other than Tony Stark. The billionaire was gazing at him with what he could only assume was interest and unlike the situation he had faced several months ago in his own home Peter realised he had no way to try and explain his way out of this one.

"Mr Stark," he began, glad that his voice stayed steady. "It's uh, nice to meet you?" he offered, chastising himself in his head for such a lame greeting.

"Please, call me Tony," came the cool response. "And technically we've already met," he reminded, glancing down at Peter's wrapped arms. Peter grimaced in response and stayed quiet.

"You in a rush to get somewhere?" Tony questioned with a knowing look in his eyes.

"Uh, no," Peter replied lamely once more, only just able to keep himself from shaking his head in disbelief at his own reply. "How did you... How did you find me?" He asked, genuinely curious as to how (and why) one of New York's (and quite possibly the world's) saviours had suddenly dropped in on random building fire.

"Kid, I'm Iron Man. There isn't really a lot I can't do or find," Tony smirked in reply, eyes twinkling mischievously. Peter smiled weakly in response, not at all placated by the response.

"How did you get me out of there?" Peter questioned again, his curiosity not settled. Tony heaved a mock sigh, giving Peter a slightly exasperated look.

"What part of "I'm Iron Man" did you not understand?" he answered with a slight smile.

Peter frowned, his mind screaming at him that he should not be trusting this situation. In his experience people (more specifically his experience of S.H.I.E.L.D people or it's associates) didn't just suddenly fly into burning building after him just to 'help out'.

"Where's my costume?" he questioned curiously, the question blurting out before he could stop himself. He knew that it must've been pretty damaged but he'd spent long hours making his costume and felt uneasy at the thought of it being out of his reach.

"What is this; twenty questions?" Tony joked, smiling at the teenager's curiosity (not that he could blame the guy, he would've been rather surprised too if the situations were reversed). "It was pretty damaged so I hope you don't mind but I thought I'd... repair it for you. I may have made a couple changes too but that's neither here nor there," he finished, attempting to gauge the reaction to the news (apparently the kid was pretty good at hiding his emotions - Tony liked him already).

Peter slowly nodded his head, trying to work out why Tony Stark (_the _Tony Stark he reminded himself once more) was in front of him, seemingly helping him out. He could only assume that S.H.I.E.L.D had put him up to this and he asked wearily if that was the case. Tony sighed in response and decided to cut the bullshit (heading Coulson's warning was the last thing on his mind at that point).

"S.H.I.E.L.D asked me to 'recruit you' and I'm not gonna do that" he began, unsurprised by the way the look on the kid's face remained relatively static (though try as he might to conceal it, Tony could read the agitated look in his eyes - it was one the billionaire knew well on himself). "It's your choice what you do and that's one thing you have to keep; choice - 'cause when that's taken away things start to turn ugly." Tony paused for a second, unable to keep the flashes of the past racing through his mind.

"All I'll say is I've seen you fight and I've seen _who_ you fight. I watched you throw yourself into a building on fire just to look for people who could've already been dead. You care about the 'little people' and that's what makes you different to us, Peter."

Peter stayed silent through Tony's explanation, digesting the words with little difficulty. Coulson had warned him that they would been "tracking" him (though his words were more along the lines of "keep an eye on you") but he hadn't expected Iron Man to be the one giving him this speech.

"If you do decide that you want in, they've asked you to join us here at Stark Tower," Tony continued. At this, Peter's eyebrows shot up. "Don't get me wrong, they're going to keep tabs on you, call on you when they want and put you in danger. This isn't an easy life to live. I almost died when the aliens invaded - not a fun experience, by the way - and Pepper has been in harms way too. Hell, you saw the footage right? But there is one thing to remember about S.H.I.E.L.D. They're the good guys. Some may be a bit less... tactile in the ways they go about it but they protect the people, protect us," he finished, not wanting to lie to the kid in any way.

Peter remained quiet for a few moments, digesting all of the information. Logically, he knew this was essentially a ploy for S.H.I.E.L.D to keep an eye on him and he didn't know whether he wanted that constant control looming over his head. He also realised that if he refused they would more than likely make his life miserable and still control him somehow anyway. He wasn't like the rest of the "Avengers" - he worked on his own terms to help catch scumbags on the streets that caused innocent harm. If aliens and super-humans came into the picture he wasn't so sure that he could face up to that responsibility (though he hoped, of course, that there would be _no _alien invasions again. It was lucky that he'd not been in the city when that had even happened). There was one thing that he _was _certain of, however. There was no chance he was moving to this place and leave his Aunt May by herself.

Sighing, Peter wrung his hands (a nervous habit he had picked up from Gwen of all people) and prepared his response carefully.

"I appreciate you telling me straight," he said truthfully (when people minced their words and danced around the point it frustrated him to no end). "I get that S.H.I.E.L.D want me on their team and think the best way of doing that is by getting _Tony Stark _to ask but I'm not changing my life for them. I've worked pretty well so far by myself and the more people knowing who I am, the worse it's going to get for them. I'm not leaving my Aunt and moving here - no way. I'll help out if I'm ever needed but I'm sorry, I'm not living here like some sort of prisoner - although a luxuriously treated prisoner I'm sure," he joked, not wanting to offend the very powerful billionaire who had been pretty friendly so far.

Tony nodded, unable to disagree with Peter's reasoning. If someone had said he should move away from protecting those he cared about he wouldn't either.

"That's fair enough," he replied easily, extending a hand out to the teenager who slowly met the offer and shook his hand. "Welcome to the team, kid."

* * *

"So what happened?"

Simmons jumped, the pen she had been writing with clattering to the floor. "Oh my - you startled me," she exclaimed placing a hand over her chest and laughing slightly. Glancing up, she swallowed as she realised who had made her jump and tried to avert her eyes from staring too long.

"Sorry," Steve apologised sheepishly, walking over to retrieve the dropped pen. He picked it up and handed it over to Simmons with an apologetic smile to which she returned hesitantly.

"What happened when?" Simmons asked, accepting the pen (and the apology) easily. She was still slightly star-struck at the fact that _the_ Captain America was not only standing in front of her but actively engaging in conversation with her (Leo would be laughing at the look on her face right now, she just knew it).

Steve smiled gently in response. "The Chitauri virus... Coulson told us the story but something makes me think that it wasn't the whole picture," he explained. Taking a seat next to the young English agent, Steve waited patiently as Simmons appeared to take a calming breath before placing down the pad she had been making notes on.

"When people become infected with the virus, their bodies basically become a walking time bomb," she began, swallowing hard. "By the time we realised that I was infected we were in the air with nowhere to land and no anti-serum. Everything Fitz and I had tried didn't work and I knew I only had a few minutes left before I wiped out the entire BUS."

Steve nodded encouragingly, gesturing for her to continue on.

"I thought I was going to kill everyone I had grown close to so I... I knocked Fitz out and threw myself out of the plane. What I didn't know was that the last thing we tried had actually worked so Ward jumped out after me and saved me," she finished, eyes cast down. Steve placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, surprised at the young woman's selfless actions.

"What you did was brave, Jemma," he commented, watching as she smiled in response.

"Thank you," she replied. His words were comforting to her - after all if Captain America was calling her brave she must have done something right. The weight of his hand on her shoulder was causing her cheeks to heat up once more and she couldn't tell if she was grateful or disappointed when he let it drop to his side.

Turning back to her work, she looked at all of the equipment available to her and let out a longing sigh.

"If only we had this kind of equipment in our lab," she said, unable to stop her scientific mind from speaking for her (though her mother - and the girls who used to bully her at school - used to call it her "nerd" side as well as other choice names).

Steve let out a smile at how the enthusiasm bled into her voice without her seeming to realise it. He looked at what she had gathered on the table before her and gestured to it, questioning what she was doing.

"Well, Agent Coulson said this whole situation could involve the virus so Fitz and I are gathering what we have on it and are going to see if we can find a way to track the Chitauri items that may contain traces of the virus. If we can manage to get any kind of lock on them we can potentially stop anything bad from happening before it even begins," she explained. "Also, if we can replicate our formula for the anti-serum then we can easily reverse the effects of it should it happen again."

At that moment, the door to the lab opened suddenly, startling Simmons once more. Fitz walked through into the room, stacks of paper from the files about the Chitauri virus in his arms. As he moved further into the room, he looked between Simmons and Steve curiously and dropped the items onto the bench next to her.

Nodding at Steve who rose a hand in greeting, he turned to Simmons.

"Any progress?" he questioned, his Scottish accent heavy. Simmons shook her head in response and slumped back further into her chair. "Best we get to work, then," he exclaimed, over-enthusiastically, looking at Steve with what the American hero thought were calculating eyes.

"Right," Steve replied, standing up when he sensed he was being none-too-subtly dismissed. "I'll leave you guys to it. If you need anything give me a shout - apparently Jarvis will be able to fetch me."

"Of course, sir," came a polite reply from somewhere around them.

"Still getting used to this new technology," Steve laughed gently. He sent a warm smile to Jemma and took his leave, heading back down to the gym.

Narrowing his eyes slightly as the man left, Fitz watched as Simmons blushed a deep pink at Steve's smile and shuffled around her work.

"Jemma," he said, voice carrying a hint of warning. She glanced up in reply and waved his look off, turning back to her work.

"_Of all the bloody people to catch her attention, it's Captain America," _he silently lamented in his head. He was not jealous, he was just looking out for her. Not jealous at all.

* * *

"General Slocum, good to see you again. Mr. Balkan, Mr. Fargas, always a pleasure to have our board of directors pay us a visit," Norman Osborn smiled (though it ended up looking more like a grimace, he was sure), his words not matching the annoyance he felt at the visit.

General Slocum nodded in response, cutting to the point. "I want a progress report on the Human Performance Enhancers."

Dr Stomm cleared his throat and stepped froward. "We tried vapour inhalation with rodent subjects - they showed an 800 percent increase strength," he explained carefully.

"800 percent?" Fargas questioned, shocked at the response. "That's excellent."

"Any side effects?" General Slocum cut in, wanting answers.

"In one trial, yes, the-"

"In was an aberration. All the tests since then have been successful," Norman cut Dr Stromm off, sending a glare his direction. He would not be losing this contract over one small blip.

General Slocum ignored him, however, and continued to address Dr Stromm. "In the test that went wrong, what happened? What were the side effects?"

"Violence, aggression and eventually insanity," Stromm replied truthfully, ignoring the looks Norman was sending his way.

General Slocum considered the response for a few seconds before asking what his recommendation would be.

Panicked, Norman intercepted the question once more. "With the exception of Dr Stromm, our entire staff has certified the product ready for human testing," he smiled, desperately attempting to draw the attention away from the problem the product had faced.

Stromm shook his head and let out a sigh. "We need to take the whole line back to formula."

"Back to formula?" Norman snapped incredulously, mouth and eyes wide at the mere thought.

General Slocum shook his head, disappointed. "Mr. Osborn, this department has missed seven consecutive delivery dates. After five and a half years of R&D the United States government has a right to expect the super-soldier you were contracted to deliver."

Spluttering, Norman felt his anger growing. "These are quantum leaps in science, gentlemen. We are unlocking the secrets of human evolution. I never said it would be cheap or fast, only groundbreaking."

Slocum sighed, stepping towards the scientist. "I'll be frank with you - I never supported your programme," he revealed, growing tired at the lack of real progress. "We have my predecessor to thank for that."

Balkan cut in, delivering another blow to Norman's plans. "The General has given the go-ahead to Quest Aerospace to build a prototype of their exoskeleton design. I hear the models rival that of Tony Stark's designs. They test in two weeks."

"If your so-called 'performance enhancers haven't had a successful human trial by that time, I will pull your funding and give it to them," Slocum explained, ending the conversation. Nodding at Norman, he filed out past him and exited the room, leaving Norman seething.

Norman sent an angry glare at Dr Stromm, marching up to him. "You are going to lose this company a lot of money," he spat, shoving a finger in the man's face threateningly. "We're testing it - tonight," he growled.

"Tonight? On who?" Dr Stromm frowned, unperturbed by Norman's angry manner.

"Me."

* * *

A dark figure looked upon the scene playing out in front of him with a sly smile. It was time to introduce himself - and get his revenge on the people that had ruined his plans and in the same process - his life.


End file.
